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The auto repair industry has long been dominated by men. But as the mechanics of cars have changed, making the job less physically demanding, more women have been seeking careers in automotive technology.

Like a lot of little girls, Cheyenne Delgado dreamed of being a princess.

"I wanted to do fashion too. But I was also tomboyish," Delgado said.

These days, her fashion choices include work gloves, jeans and safety goggles.

"It’s fun and I like getting messy," Delgado said. "So I don’t think that would work really well with fashion."

The tomboy won out over the princess after she started helping her uncle work on cars.

"I wanted to be able to help other people fix their cars [and] to be able to help my mom out so she [wouldn’t] have to go out and spend the money [on] it," Delgado said.

Delgado is a collision repair student in the College of Southern Nevada's Automotive Technology program. It prepares students to work in the automotive repair industry.

She is one of an increasing number of women pursuing a career in what has long been a male-dominated field that offers plenty of opportunities and well-paying jobs.

They get hands-on training in labs in addition to taking traditional academic courses. She's in her second year of classes and already showing 13 Action News Anchor Carla Wade how to weld like a pro.

When Jazmin Hurtado first started classes, she realized quickly that she would have to prove herself.

"The first day I got here, guys kind of pushed me out of the way," she said. "Because they don’t think you are here to actually work on things."

Even her family had reservations about her working around mostly men on greasy diesel engines.